Kids Give Me Hope
by Yellow Sunflower
Summary: "Wy don't you want to hold my hand?" Noah asked. Cody frowned. "My hands were just cold, that's all." NOCO. FutureFic. One-shot. Fluff? Sure, why not.


**Sadly, I have been neglecting my little friends Noah and Cody for some time. It's not that I don't have ideas. It's just that they sit in my head too long and get "blah"-y.  
I was on the website and I found this story about how a gay couple was walking down the street, and... well, I won't spoil the ending for you. I immediately thought of NoCo, of course.  
I hope you find this fluffy and cavity inducing (you know... cause it's so sweet :D).**

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"Why don't you ever want to hold my hand?" Noah asked his boyfriend. Cody had just felt Noah's hand brush against his, but he had jammed his hands into his coat pockets. Cody loved Noah very much, but there was something about holding hands – or showing any kind of affection in public – that made Cody feel uncomfortable. The two lived in Toronto, Canada's biggest city. If Noah and Cody were going to hold hands walking down the street, and good three or four _thousand_ people would see.

Cody frowned and continued to look forward while walking down the sidewalk. "My hands were just cold, that's all," Cody explained. It was the middle of January, so it seemed believable. But it was a lie.

Noah looked at Cody with a doubting expression.

"Really, I swear," Cody protested. Lie.

"Are you sure?" Noah asked, knowing full well that Cody was lying.

Cody looked down, but continued walking. "Well, it's just that…" Cody trailed off, hoping Noah would understand, and he wouldn't need to explain the waves of anxiety crashing around in his stomach. But Noah stayed quiet, letting Cody fill in his own awkward silence.

"I'm afraid that if someone sees us holding hands, they'll say something… well, not too nice," Cody finished quickly, then let out a nervous laugh. "It's stupid, really."

"It's not stupid," Noah shook his head. "It's a perfectly rational thought, considering your parents."

"Noah…" Cody said, not wanting to bring them into this. They had been… less than accepting when Cody had moved in with Noah. That was three years ago. He hadn't talked to them since.

Noah apologized before continuing, "How about this? Hold my hand just this once, and if someone says something, then I won't ever ask again."

Cody looked into Noah's brown eyes. They looked so warm. Cody had been ridiculed for a good portion of his high school life for being a "fag", and it was clear that the torment he received in high school was not going to end there. There was an instance before where Cody had given Noah a quick peck on the lips in a restaurant once, and the owner had asked them, not so politely, to leave. Cody was afraid to show affection towards his boyfriend in public now, and it was obvious to Noah.

"You know I love you, right?" Noah said. "And I would never let anyone hurt you?"

Cody smiled hesitantly before he pulled his hand out of his coat pocket, and interlaced his fingers with Noah's. Having the spaces in between his fingers occupied by Noah's own fingers felt so comforting. The two walked on.

This comfort only lasted for a few minutes. Then Cody felt very self-conscious. He just knew that someone was looking at the couple with disgust. He craned his head over his shoulder before looking across the street, and then behind his shoulder again. While no one he could see was looking at him, he could feel a thousand eyes on him at once, and his face began to turn scarlet red and burn his cheeks.

The two stopped at an intersection, waiting for the signal to cross the street. Caught in a mass of people, it was inevitable that there would be some sort of reaction now. Cody's heart beat faster and faster, while the waves of anxiety in his stomach raged on.

Finally, he felt someone pull on his pant leg. Finding this incredibly odd, both Noah and Cody looked behind them to face a little girl no more than five years old. She had on earmuffs over her curly red hair, and freckles sprinkled her cheekbones. A woman, assumed to be her mother, was holding her gloved hand.

The little girl opened her mouth, and, very seriously for someone her age, said:

"You two make a beautiful couple."

Instead of responding, Cody just stayed in a stunned silence, until he felt Noah nudge him so he would answer her.

Cody replied, while trying to keep his voice even, "Thank you."

The girl beamed them a toothy smile before the two turned forward again. Cody couldn't get the smile off his face. He turned to Noah to see that he had the same smiling expression as he did.

The signal across the street finally turned to "_WALK_". Noah gave Cody's hand a tight squeeze before they crossed the street together.

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**Tell me what I need to do: characterization, setting, tone, humor, language, figurative language, etc. etc... I am an aspiring writer, so your critiquing is so much appreciated.**


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